“Living on Guaranteed Time” by Jenny Leonard

March 9th, 2010

JennyLeonard“Since I was very little I’ve lived life marching to the beat of my own drum and my career as a graphic designer has been no different.  In my early years, I couldn’t understand why people worked so hard for “retirement”, a time in life that is not fully guaranteed.  I guess I never understood the concept that I should give up the best years of my life as a physically fit, mentally strong, and healthy person working ridiculously hard following the retirement carrot that is placed in front of me.  Then when it is all over my health, body, and mind are breaking down would I finally get to live out my life’s dreams… Anything can happen at any time in life, so why not make the best of the time that is guaranteed?

It wasn’t until the last few months of college before graduating that I really started to think about the direction I wanted my career to go.  On one hand I had the option of working at a great agency and starting my design resume and on the other hand… well I didn’t quite know.  I had visited several agencies in town and interviewed various levels of staff and what I found out is that while I did love design I didn’t love working for a design studio or ad agency. It didn’t feel like the right direction for me for many reasons. But what else was there?

JennyL2We all have those moments, where somebody you don’t really know can give you the words you need to hear to help you find direction.  I had won an entry to a student conference from a design contest and I was sitting in on a session when this speakers words really spoke to me.  He talked about how he started his business directly out of college and while everybody told him it wouldn’t work, it did.  It was like a light bulb went off in my head… it was then, I remember thinking, if he could do it, so could I.

I made a leap of faith, without any career experience, and started working as an independent graphic designer.  At first the jobs were not very glamorous and I had to fight to gain credibility, but eventually I learned from my mistakes and moved on.  As my business grew I was able to live life how I wanted to on my own terms. I hand-pick my clients and work remotely from my laptop anywhere I can find an internet connection.  I’ve volunteered in Vanuatu for 6-weeks building health clinics, traveled to over half of the United States, backpacked for 5-months through South America, raced competitive motocross, sailed the South Pacific on a pirate ship, and cruised the Virgin Islands (just to name a few…).

IMG_0281Along the way, I’ve had everybody from my fellow students, teachers, career counselors, parents, ect. telling me everything from, “It can’t be done.” “You’ll never make it.” “You’re crazy!” “Why don’t you get a real job?” “You won’t succeed.” If I had of listened to them I wouldn’t have gotten to swim with sea lions in the Galapagos or find the Lost City in Colombia or any of the other amazing things I’ve done along with the pride I have working for myself for 7 years now.  The fact remains that A.  ‘Anything can happen’ and B. ‘It’s possible’.  If I hadn’t of believed that and followed my heart to do what was right for me, I wouldn’t be where I am today.  Lastly, always keep your ears open to those around you wherever you may be, you never know who’s words may inspire you”.

Just 7 years into her career, Jenny Leonard is the principal of Razviti Creative in downtown Houston, TX. It was founded on the principle that you don’t have to outspend your competition, only out think them. You can learn more about Jenny, her design and her passions at http://www.razviti.com

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Raise Taxes, Kill Innovation

March 5th, 2010

As we are approaching tax time yet again and people all over the country are frantically working to get their receipts in order, apply for every little tax credit they can find and compile their returns, I can’t help but think “render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). Now don’t going running scared, this isn’t me preaching about tithing, rather explaining that I’m fully willing (ok, maybe only partially willing) to pay my taxes for the privilege of calling myself an American and all the opportunities that come with that title. What I’m not willing to do is to continue watching the government piss our hard earned dollars away!

Property tax, sales tax, excise tax, fuel tax, sin tax… All of these are based on what you buy (a direct reflection on what you make). In 1862, Congress enacted the nation’s first income tax law in order to support the Civil War effort. In 1913, the 16th Amendment to the Constitution made the income tax a permanent fixture in the U.S. tax system. The amendment gave Congress legal authority to tax income on both individuals and corporations. Support from the public was based on the idea that only the very wealthy would be affected. Unfortunately, the government (republican or democrat, local or federal) is insatiable and it’s not just the wealthy that feel the sting. I look at it this way, if you tax the rich at a rate at a rate of 35%, what incentive do people have to strive for excellence and pursue the American dream? If you tax the poor they just become poorer. If you tax the middle-class, you essentially thwart their ability to achieve.

I strongly believe that regardless of political views, we have to demand that our government stop spending, quit borrowing and put an end to increased taxes. I, for one, will not vote ‘yes’ on any tax increase until the government can prove itself fiscally responsible. Here’s what I don’t understand, in Hawaii they have furloughed the teachers and therefore have no school on Fridays but there is a beautiful repaving and highway widening project underway. Our children will be stupid but our shocks will last a few months longer. In Washington, state congress approved an income tax on top of the 10% sales tax in an effort to pay down the tremendous deficit. Interestingly, the city I live in is constructing a beautiful new city center and road expansion. Don’t even get me started on California!

Here’s the thing – the U.S. is sliding downward and one thing we can all agree upon, regardless of political affiliation, is the need to come together, make our citizens stronger and demand our government act responsibly. We need to encourage innovation, allowing Americans, regardless of color or creed, to pursue all those things that make America so amazing. Increasing taxes instead of requiring fiscal responsibilities makes us nothing more than sheep being lead to the slaughter.

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“Know What Makes Them Tick” – reviewed by Bettina de Perez

March 4th, 2010

know what“Max Siegel has captured and communicated a formula, which if absorbed and applied will transform one’s life in “Know What Makes Them Tick – How to Successfully Negotiate Almost Any Situation.” Is it because I’m at a personal crossroads, with sorrow to heal and dreams to rebuild, that Siegel’s work moved me? Is it because I work with leaders in business and industry, and rarely glimpse this depth of discernment and skill, that I strongly encourage you to seek out this book? Yes,  – and yes.

But wherever you are on your personal or professional journey, there are keys here for your locked doors, and transformative concepts that will clarify what currently confounds you. In Max Siegel words: “People always ask me how I did it – how I got from where I started, to where I am today. And to be honest, when someone asks me about my success, it can still be hard to believe they’re talking about me. Back when I was a teenager in Indianapolis, if you had looked at me from the outside, you would have seen a poor black kid with a Jewish name, a mixed-race boy from a broken home – an outsider,  even among outsiders…”

A riveting life story, raw, heartbreaking – provides the backdrop for this powerful autobiographic tutorial. We’re all familiar with the adage that our history is not our destiny, but, as Siegel explains – without an aggressive leap forward – the demons of a painful past have the power to absolutely shape our current and future reality. Walking the talk, we’re shown step by step, how Max Siegel transformed his scars to strengths, and how we can do the same.

Having achieved stunning heights of success throughout his career, as an attorney and agent for luminaries in sports and entertainment, as a global music executive, as former president of Dale Earnhardt Inc. and now, partnered with NASCAR, leading the Drive for Diversity program, and co-owner of Revolution Racing – Siegel’s skills as a unifier, mediator and consensus builder are at the center of that success. This essential component of leadership, Siegel asserts, can be learned and demonstrated by all who make the choice to do the work.

Think of your most challenging business crisis, intractable conflict – or betrayal. When was the last time you received any counsel that delivered effective solutions that did NOT sugarcoat or trivialize? Max Siegel offers specific examples of interpersonal dynamics that cause conflict – and outlines how those differences can be recalibrated to achieve unity and cohesion.

When have you been challenged to determine what restores your sense of internal balance – by leveraging the elements in your personal history that cause you pain or shame – and view that suffering from the perspective that it can BUILD rather than undermine your success? Siegel challenges us to take a penetrating look at ourselves and ask: WHAT MAKES ME TICK? What do I value – and what am I willing to walk away from, to formulate a clear vision for my life? And developing that life vision can be as simple as deciding what you don’t want to repeat.
Siegel is persuasive in communicating how his approach is gratifying, both personally and spiritually. By developing the ability to ask the right questions, to connect, and to truly listen, we elevate our interactions – diffuse discord, and can build solid relationships and communities.

What drives the people in our lives with whom we live and work? How do those motivations intersect? How do we tap those motivations – shape them and work together to uplift one another? We learn to KNOW WHAT MAKES THEM TICK.”

scan0223Bettina de Perez is a corporate consultant and designer. She specializes in the field of applied intuitive analysis, providing clients with strategic planning, business, brand and product development. More about Bettina can be found at http://www.bettinadesignandconsulting.com

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Corporate: Learning From Your Design Colleagues

March 3rd, 2010

Corporate creative teams and agencies can learn much from each other. Inhouse corporate teams are strong in their abilities to live a brand, knowing the ends and outs of a particular product or service. Agencies are good with process, promotion and keeping current with trends. All of these traits are necessary in the production of visual communications and business solutions.

I speak to inhouse groups often about functioning like a design firm. Don’t misunderstand this idea, its very simple. Inhouse groups need to align their departments to be the agency of choice for their organizations. Obviously companies have options for who they use to further their vision and business goals. The first question to ask, is why are they not choosing the inhouse group? I think the answer is simple but the reality is harsh. The answer is that the company believes they can get better service, a better outcome and more value outside of the existing department. This is the misconception that must change. And it won’t change by complaining or by being complacent.

Think about it. This is a problem every business must overcome; how will I get my customer to notice me, choose me, use me and come back for more? Inhouse departments should function no differently. This can be one of the most exciting initiatives for corporate creative teams. It starts with asking who is my client, what do they want and do I have the capabilities to give them what they need? These questions must be investigated and answered truthfully. This is the very foundation on which everything else must build.

Beyond the foundation or core business offering, inhouse teams need to market to their clients. Inhouse groups assume because if they work for the organization they will automatically get the business. That’s just an entitled attitude. You have to ask for the business, show you can produce the best possible product before they even walk in the door and, ultimately, earn their trust and loyality.

Another interesting observation within corporate creative teams is that of continued education, or the lack thereof. Having worked with 100s of inhouse departments, I’m always shocked by the low percentage of designers that pursue opportunities to expand their capabilities. The competition within an agency as well as the vast diversity of projects requires that designers stay current and always look for ways to improve their skills and inspire their creativity. Inhouse designers need to stay competitive for the good of their own careers as well as the good of their client’s business.

Keep in mind that every client whether internal or external is looking to further their brand recognition and see a return on their investment from marketing campaigns, visual communications and product design. Design is about solving problems, big or small. Providing a client with successful solutions is the core of what makes a good designer and a good design team.

Please add comments below with your thoughts and experiences. Design is a collaborative process, so let’s collaborate!

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“Learnin’ From the ‘lympics” by David Kendall

March 1st, 2010

“DK Headshot ColorThe great global sports extravaganza and world hug fest better known as the Winter Olympics is finally over at least for another four years. As I sat on my comfy sofa, cocktail in hand watching our athletes ski swifter, jump higher and skate stronger I wondered if there was anything that I could or should learn from them. Is there anything inherent in what they do in their respective sports that I could emulate in my sport – design? Are there a few techniques from the biathlon or giant slalom that could also serve me better in the design studio?

Now I’ve always considered what I do to be pretty close to a blood sport; however no one ever gave me a medal or played the national anthem when my work was done. No one kicked things off with a lighting of a torch – a lot of cigarettes, maybe, but no fancy cauldron of flame. And no one painted their faces for the final creative presentation. Perhaps if they would it would be more enjoyable, but it would also mean I would probably only get a job every four years as well.

As I thought more about parallels between the Olympics and my design career, I realized that I’ve indeed achieved Olympian heights much like those from my favorite Winter Olympic sport – ski jumping. Of all the winter sports, ski jumping has always appealed to me. It looks pretty simple. You don’t have to spend hours in the gym or days sweeping ice. And you get to keep most of your teeth.

So, in many ways, ski jumping and design are very similar. First of all, one of the hardest things about ski jumping is trust. It takes a great deal of trust to let go of the bar and sail down the ramp. It’s the same with design. Just like the ski jumper trusts his training and skis, I trust my training and abilities to solve the design challenges. Although I may not know exactly how I’m going to solve the problem or where and even when creative inspiration is going to come, I trust that it will. It always does.

Secondly, one of the most exciting parts of the ski jump is the leap at the end of the jump. It’s where the skier leaves the support of the ground and takes off into the unknown. I know that it’s hard and sometimes painful letting go of the familiar, the comfortable and the easy and leap into the unknown. It takes both courage and confidence, but it I’ve found it to be far more thrilling and rewarding than taking the stairs. It’s in the unknown where great design lives and it’s important to take that leap into that vast area in order to uncover it.

Finally, I balance. The last part of a clean jump for the skier is coming back down to earth and landing smoothly. I try to bring this into my daily life and release myself from the issues of design, the challenges of my client’s and the stress of running a business. I get way from it and focus on the more meaningful parts of life, bend my knees and stay in balance.

So, while our Winter Olympians have adopted their motto of Citius, Altius and Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger), I have adopted my own motto of Fiducia, Tripudio and Pondera (Trust, Leap, Balance). I encourage you to do so, too.”

Founder and principal of Kendall Ross Brand Development and Design, David Kendall specializes in the development and re-positioning of retail brands ranging from consumer goods and packaging to retail shopping centers. His work focuses on helping clients demonstrate and understand the value of their brand in a way that is distinct, authentic and relevant to their customers. Read more about David at http://www.kendallross.com

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Designing From 30,000 Feet

February 26th, 2010

pash_workingConnecting to your projects and your clients is not always an easy thing to do. Often the design profession is seen as interesting and glamorous, a fun and sexy profession where you get to play on a computer and work with exciting products day in and day out, creating beautiful visual pieces. Truthfully, that is often not the case. Particularly when you are working on projects or with clients that are difficult to connect with.

Most designers know that creating a design brief and using it as a roadmap is critical to the success of a project or campaign. Asking the right questions such as, what is your business about and how does your product differ from you competitors, is a great start but what a design team does with those answers, in my humble opinion, is the difference between a strategist and a artist.

Responding to a design request without taking a hard fast look at the validity of the answers is a flat-out mistake. Don’t get me wrong, many a designer will gather the obligatory information from a client and turn out a gorgeous communication piece. But so often the client needs “a big fat reality check”, so says my friend, Matt ‘Pash’ Pashkow in our “Talk Story” yesterday. Pash recommended a brilliant step in approaching a project which I think is critically important to providing a longterm solution for a client. He says we must gather information, real information that digs deeper than the surface of what the client is telling you. Guiding them through a process of looking in the mirror and pushing through the “bullshit” and moving to a place where every stakeholder agrees on who and what they are. Pash says, “this requires a design team to fire up the jet, fly up to 30,000 feet and take a look from up there.”

Allowing the design process to begin at 30,000 feet is an awesome way of looking at any design project, big or small. I’ve heard it called ‘the big picture’ but all that does is make a problem look bigger than it is. But check this out; observing from 30,000 feet allows you to remain focused on your target and affords you the freedom to search the surrounding areas and see how they will affect the target and how it is the target will affect the surrounding area.

I love this idea! It takes design to a strategic level that gives designers, whether working on inhouse design teams or agency teams, a critical seat at the table. To make this happen, it requires you to have a desire for a strong connection. You have to know what your talking about, you have to have flown high above as to provide a broad and well thought out perspective of the course the project should take. Lastly, you have to be willing to listen, comment and lead your clients through the process, not just paint them a pretty picture.

Click here for a full hour of “Talk Story with Jeni” and Pash at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jeniherberger or directly from my site at http://jeniherberger.com

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Career: Listening to Your ‘Inner Child’

February 24th, 2010

Deep inside of us all is an ‘inner child’ that holds all of our dreams, our hopes and our aspirations. It’s this child that still has faith in the future, wide-eyed wonder for the present and a perspective of truth for the past. At some arbitrary point in time it seems each of us crosses over to adulthood and along with it many leave these childlike qualities behind.

It’s these traits that define the fervor in which you live your life. If you were to look at your ‘child meter’, what would it say about you? Try answering these questions:

  • How excited are you for your immediate future?
  • When you look at today, are you doing exactly what you want?
  • When you look at the past, do you feel regret or peace?

When it comes to our careers, I strongly believe we often go about it the wrong way. As kids, we all had very distinct personalities, likes and dislikes and when asked what we wanted to be when we grew up, we answered quickly and excitedly. I realize that initially young ones say things like a fireman, a doctor, a nurse or a dancer but it becomes more and more sophisticated and in line with their natural interests as they get older. By the time a child hits those ‘tween’ years, I think they have a distinct knowledge of who they are.

Take a look at yourself between the ages of 12 and 15, what did you enjoy learning about? What did you think you’d like to do as a grownup? I wanted to study marine-biology and mammal behavior. Yes, its true, I wanted to train and care for dolphins and whales at Sea World. Those of you who know me know it not far off the mark. I still love the ocean, have tattoos of marine life, my favorite sports require large bodies of water but like so many of us I was talked out of pursuing that field of study because there was no money in it. Understand that I’m not saying I still wouldn’t have changed my course somewhere along the way, become a photographer, own a design firm and end up speaking to those in my chosen field. What I am saying is that deep inside we all know what makes us as excited as a child whose waiting to go to Disneyland!

After entering college to become a physician, finding my inner artist as a theater major, photographer and design firm owner, I am now doing exactly what I love to do. I’m talking and sharing and using my experiences to connect with amazing people. I’m not a marine biologist, but I am a surfer and an advocate for marine conservation. I don’t take pictures anymore but who knows what I’ll do tomorrow and the next day.

As a parent I often look at my children and wonder at what point they will leave their childhood and begin listening less and less to that child inside. I hope they hold on to what they love and I encourage each of my readers to take a step back and ask your ‘inner child’ what it is you want to be. If you’re not doing what you once dreamed of or want to do more of it then look for little ways to bring that desire to life. The end result keeps you timeless and relevant and most importantly, happy!

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“Perspectives of a Young Designer” by Will Nash

February 23rd, 2010

Will Nash“I was fairly artistic growing up. It is a trait I get from my mom, whose house is now filled with paintings and design work I did in high school and college. My dad had a crazy-hard work ethic and didn’t see how I could make a living in art (he was straight old school). My biggest step toward becoming a designer was when I was accepted into the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) in Birmingham, AL. To keep in line with both parents wishes I applied for both the Math and Science program and the Visual Arts program. Luckily, I was rejected from the Math and Science.

While at ASFA, I had my first experience with Photoshop, gained a foundation of the arts and learned the importance of a strong work ethic that would totally prepare me for my years in college. At first, I wanted to attend a prominent design college outside of the state, but realized it would be too expensive. I attended a nearby liberal arts school, the University of Montevallo. In retrospect this was a great decision. I gained all of the needed resources to grow my skills and land my first internship that would later turn into a full time position. Plus, my student loans are not too “ridoncoulous.”

During my senior year at Montevallo, my graphic design professor told me about an internship at EBSCO Industries, Inc. I had heard good things about the company and later learned that they had many divisions ranging from hunting gear to information services. I ended up getting the internship and worked hard to become a candidate for a full time designer position.

Here I am; a young designer part of a corporate communications team. We have a new high-energy general manager who has already made significant changes for the better, an awesome rock star creative director (literally, he is the former lead singer for a rock band!), fantastic writers, skilled researchers, great account managers and finally a collective of kick-tail designers and programmers. It almost seems as if a natural progression to this point but as I look back it took a great deal of refining to be asset to a super ‘cool-snapalicious-purely-clowning’ in-house team!

There are many things that I’ve learned along the way, but four areas have been essential to my growth:

  1. Having a faith that produces confidence
  2. Maintaining a good work ethic
  3. Practicing patience
  4. Building strong relationships

The ultimate foundation to my life transcends even my desires to be a designer. Having faith that God will provide opportunities for me to use my gifts to His glory, keeps me grounded and allows me to step back to look at the bigger picture of any situation. It also gives me a great deal of confidence to see that my Creator has always come through for me at crucial times in my life.

Having a good work ethic is key when it comes to working for a corporate entity that has a core value of being profitable and measures our success accordingly. There are so many talented designers that are looking for work right now, and I know for a fact that I will become dispensable if I start to slack. I work each day with the same heart I did when I wanted a full-time position at EBSCO as an intern in 2006. When I was interning at EBSCO, my group had a great deal of patience with me. They always made me feel comfortable asking questions and helped me whenever I needed. I always make an effort to display this same patience to others.

Finally, I cannot stress how important it is to build strong relationships with others. I work for a global company with a big-picture vision, but the relationship with my immediate team shapes the scope of how I operate with in it. Our group cultivates an atmosphere that promotes inspiration, creativity, and great work. In turn, I am inspired to be a better designer, co-worker and friend to my team members.”

Will Nash officially entered the design profession in 2006. Watch out world, here he comes!

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Doing What You Love To Do

February 16th, 2010

JFisher_HI_blog

We often talk of the importance of ‘loving’ what you do.  If you really think about it, isn’t this stating the obvious? I mean no one is going to tell you to be sure you do something that you dislike terribly.

It is always a pleasure to ‘Talk Story’ with my ‘conference husband’, Jeff Fisher at LogoMotives in Portland. Jeff is one of those people that approaches life with no apologies and looks to find the joy in all he does, professionally and personally. For some reason this seems to be a challenge for many. I think we try and I think we want to, but I also think we get mixed up as the world around us squelches the fire.

It seems to start with the pursuit of a livelihood at the ripe old age of 18. Most of us are influenced by parents and school counselors to look for a career in which we show aptitude. What the hell is ‘aptitude’ anyways? I have a high aptitude for mechanics and math, so I should be an engineer? I’d be miserable. Oh, but it’s a good living and you can make good money. That is a formula for misery!

If you are a parent and looking to have your kids be happy in their successes (notice I said ‘their successes’) then do this. By the time they are 14 or 15 years old, ask them what it is they want to learn more about, what interests them, what they could see themselves really getting into and studying. Don’t ask them what they want to be when they grow up. I don’t even know at 43 what I want to be when I grow up! I asked my now 18-year-old senior these very questions. She answered me, saying  “You know, mom. I love archaeology and rocks and ancient Egypt and the Celts.” So that was it. From that moment on we formed her secondary education around the desire to study archaeology. She got a waiver for languages at her school and took on-line Latin. She volunteered at the Museum of History and Industry. She joined the Darfur Project at her school. When it came time to look at colleges, we had a direction. Will she become an archaeologist Indiana Jones style? I doubt it. But she will study what she loves and find her way from there.

So what do you do if you got off to a bad start? Well, I’d say switch it up. I’m not saying you need to quit your job, go back to school, start all over and foreclose on your house as a result. That’s ridiculous. Instead take a clue from Jeff, myself and others like us. Find the joy in what you are doing now and begin altering your pathway to lead down the road that truly brings you joy. Try these steps:

  • What did you always love when you were a kid and what have you done in the past that made you truly happy? Chances are you knew then more about your passions then than you do now.
  • What do you enjoy most about what you do now? Look past the obvious, possibly to the mundane.
  • What do you wish you could do more of? Think of your favorite hobby or something you’ve never tried and always wanted to.
  • Write each of these on a separate piece of paper, free form with doodles or words or whatever. Now lay these three pieces of paper in front of you, grab a highlighter and circle key words that jump out at you. Do you see a pattern?

The pattern you see is your unique roadmap to giving your existing career path a push in the right direction. Maybe even the direction you should have taken all along or maybe it just a new way to pursue an old dream. For me, it is touching lives through communicating and teaching. For Jeff, it was taking a broad-based career in design and narrowing down to creating identities for the types of organizations he loves and pushing his fears aside, tapping into his happy nature and graduating from clown school. Thanks ‘Toots Caboose’ for spreading just a little more joy and showing us that there is a clown deep down inside of each of us!

Click here for a full hour of “Talk Story with Jeni” and Jeff at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jeniherberger or directly from my site at http://jeniherberger.com

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When All Else Fails, Turn Left

February 8th, 2010

michael_lejeuneBeing a good designer may be enough for some people; obtaining a degree from art school, mastering all the right design programs, winning a design award here or there, getting a job with a well known company or firm. All of these markers indeed warrant the title of ‘designer’. The question is this – is that enough for you?

When asked ‘how did you get to this place?’, my friend Michael Lejeune responded with, ‘I just kept making left turns’. The more time I spent thinking about this as we talked story last week, the more I loved all the implications hidden within those words. Undeniably, we westerners live in a world of ‘right’. The hands of the clock circle to the right, we read from the left to the right, we drive on the right side of the road, even refer to our biggest advocate as our  ‘right-hand man’. Studies show 70%-95% of the human population (regardless of race or culture) is right-handed. So what did Michael mean by making left turns?

As a proud and often misunderstood member of the small percentage of our population that is left-handed, I see turning left as natural. I remember be considered slow in school because I wanted to turn left. Whether it was with scissors or dance moves or swinging a baseball bat, it always took me longer and seldom was there anyone to teach me. In order to fit in I had to convert a left turn to a right turn then back to left again. When you are 7 years old, this takes a few seconds to do. As I grew older, it came faster and faster to a point when it was all but seamless. I graduated in the top 1% of my class, earned a college degree in 3 ½ years, and built a multi-million dollar company in 12 years with seed money equaling $4000. I’m not slow, I just like to take left turns.

Going against the grain (or making left turns) for the attention of your peers or superiors will quickly earn you the title of ‘poser’. Some of us are right-handed and it is how we function best. Following the flow and doing it better and more authentically than your counterparts will get you far in this world. Being someone who moves differently has its set of challenges and risks. But if you feel compelled to move in a direction different from most AND can overcome the fear of doing so, truly great things can happen.

Most all of the amazing folks I talk to such as LA Metro’s Michael Lejeune have succeeded in their careers by following their heart and their gut overcoming any fear of failure. If you are looking for change or growth in your career, organization, even your personal life, you might what to try a new route. Try turning left the next time you come to a fork in the road.

Click here the full hour of “Talk Story with Jeni’ and Michael at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jeniherberger or directly from my site at http://jeniherberger.com

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